AuthorTopic: Can I apply as Black if I'm 10% black? (Read 10983 times)

Denk, you are trying to make a simple situation out of my complicated ethnic heritage.

No, really, I was just having fun with the math.

I believe that the whole concept of saying "1/4 Black" is silly in so many ways - mostly because it devalues the "Black" attribute - as if there's this thing that's pure "whiteness", and everything else is a dilution.

I agree with you here.It's actually the whiteness that's diluting things.

Logged

When you have somebody dying because they are poor and black or poor and white or because of whatever they are ... that erases everything that's great about this country.

Denk, you are trying to make a simple situation out of my complicated ethnic heritage.

No, really, I was just having fun with the math.

I believe that the whole concept of saying "1/4 Black" is silly in so many ways - mostly because it devalues the "Black" attribute - as if there's this thing that's pure "whiteness", and everything else is a dilution.

Just to be a total dork - it's impossible to be "10% black", as the original poster wrote, isn't it?

Consider this a Logic Game:

I believe that it's only possible to be this fraction:

1 / (x ^ 2), where x >= 0.

In order words, you can only be 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 black, etc... Ok - that's it -- with a mistake like that you shouldn't go to law school.

Actually, you need an additional assumption: that each person has a finite number of ancestors. Otherwise you could construct a series SUM 1/(n^2) = 1/10th. doing so is simple in fact. but assuming that each person only has a finite number of ancestors:

Here's a number-theoretic proof: each person only has 2 parents, so the demoniator of every person's ethnic fractions are divisible by 2 only. but 10 also has 5 as a prime factor, hence it is impossible to be 1/10th black.

Logged

When a President does it, that means that it is not illegal. -Richard Nixon

Just to be a total dork - it's impossible to be "10% black", as the original poster wrote, isn't it?

Consider this a Logic Game:

I believe that it's only possible to be this fraction:

1 / (x ^ 2), where x >= 0.

In order words, you can only be 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 black, etc... Ok - that's it -- with a mistake like that you shouldn't go to law school.

Actually, you need an additional assumption: that each person has a finite number of ancestors. Otherwise you could construct a series SUM 1/(n^2) = 1/10th. doing so is simple in fact. but assuming that each person only has a finite number of ancestors:

Here's a number-theoretic proof: each person only has 2 parents, so the demoniator of every person's ethnic fractions are divisible by 2 only. but 10 also has 5 as a prime factor, hence it is impossible to be 1/10th black.

However it's possible to be very close to 1/10th black.

Logged

When you have somebody dying because they are poor and black or poor and white or because of whatever they are ... that erases everything that's great about this country.

Just to be a total dork - it's impossible to be "10% black", as the original poster wrote, isn't it?

Consider this a Logic Game:

I believe that it's only possible to be this fraction:

1 / (x ^ 2), where x >= 0.

In order words, you can only be 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 black, etc... Ok - that's it -- with a mistake like that you shouldn't go to law school.

Actually, you need an additional assumption: that each person has a finite number of ancestors. Otherwise you could construct a series SUM 1/(n^2) = 1/10th. doing so is simple in fact. but assuming that each person only has a finite number of ancestors:

Here's a number-theoretic proof: each person only has 2 parents, so the demoniator of every person's ethnic fractions are divisible by 2 only. but 10 also has 5 as a prime factor, hence it is impossible to be 1/10th black.

However it's possible to be very close to 1/10th black.

yea

Logged

When a President does it, that means that it is not illegal. -Richard Nixon

InterFC1

I believe that the US Census defines a minority as one that is being at least 1/8th of that race. For example, a person is considered black even if he/she has only one great-grandfather that was black. Even if the rest of his family was of Swedish origin, this person could declare minority status. I think that the same criteria could be utilized for LS admission purposes.

I believe that the US Census defines a minority as one that is being at least 1/8th of that race. For example, a person is considered black even if he/she has only one great-grandfather that was black. Even if the rest of his family was of Swedish origin, this person could declare minority status. I think that the same criteria could be utilized for LS admission purposes.

I'm black, I could pass as white but I'm 1/2-- which is way more that 10%. At that point you might as well stay white especially if you are only claiming it for URM status and don't mention it any other time. I find it kind of disqusting but thats just me

I think it'd be dishonest to just check a box, but it might be worth mentioning in a diversity statement if you identify as being black. It bothers me when applicants use a smidgeon of blood solely for admissions purposes when they don't identify as a minority at all.